Putting green including means for sequentially returning holed-out balls to peripherally spaced ball dispensers

ABSTRACT

A continuous putting green surface having a cup, undulations, and surface texture similar to a golf course putting green, thereby, providing players with varied length putts in which the ball line-of-roll may envolve level, uphill, downhill, or sidehill travel or any combination thereof, either against, across, or with the grain of the putting surface or any grain combination thereof. Utilization of automatic ball-dispensing and ball return means eliminates player bending or stooping for balls both at the putting tees and at the cup. When the ball-dispensing means releases a ball upon the putting green, the ball return means is translated into ball-receiving position underneath the cup. A holed out ball will enter the ball return means and roll by gravity to the ball-dispensing means for subsequent reuse. This returned ball will initiate operation of a second balldispensing means to discharge a ball and cause the previously used ball return means to retract, and the ball return means associated with the second dispensing means to move into ballreceiving position underneath the cup. This sequence of operations will continue until balls are putted and holed out from the plurality of putting tee positions located on the putting green periphery.

United States Patent [72] inventor Joseph A. Geutiluomo 1456 BelmontAve., Schenectady, N.Y. 12308 [21] Appl. No. 796,284 [22] Filed Jan.21,1969 [45] Patented May 25, 1971 Continuation of application Ser. No.550,664, May 17, 1966.

[54] PUTTING GREEN INCLUDING MEANS FOR SEQUENTIALLY RETURNINGI-IOLED-OUT BALLS T0 PERIPHERALLY SPACEI) BALL DISPENSERS 6 Claims, 2Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 273/176, 273/201, 273/179 [51] Int. Cl A63b 67/02 [50] FieldofSearch 273/176 (all), 182, 87, 87.2, 87.4,179(A),127, 19 5, 201 194/Game Digest, (Inquiredl [56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS3,011,791 12/1961 Page 273/179 3,170,694 2/1965 Dolce 273/115 3,310,3123/1967 Peeples 273/179 1,818,749 8/1931 Pittler 273/176(G) TEE No.4

TEE No.5

TEE No.6

TEENQT 2,606,028 8/1952 Zion 273/176(l-l) 2,678,823 5/1954 Hugman273/176(H)X Primary Examiner-George J. Marlo Attomey-Joseph A.Gentiluomo ABSTRACT: A continuous putting green surface having a cup,undulations, and surface texture similar to a golf course putting green,thereby, providing players with varied length putts in which the ballline-of-roll may envolve level, uphill, downhill, or sidehill travel orany combination thereof, either against, across, or with the grain ofthe putting surface or any grain combination thereof. Utilization ofautomatic balldispensing and ball return means eliminates player bendingor stooping for balls both at the putting tees and at the cup. When theball-dispensing means releases a ball upon the putting green, the ballreturn means is translated into ballreceiving position underneath thecup. A holed out ball will enter the ball return means and roll bygravity to the balldispensing means for subsequent reuse. This returnedball will initiate operation of a second ball-dispensing means todischarge a ball and cause the previously used ball return means toretract, and the ball return means associated with the second dispensingmeans to move into ball-receiving position underneath the cup. Thissequence of operations will continue until balls are putted and holedout from the plurality of putting tee positions located on the puttinggreen periphery.

PUTTING GREEN INCLUDING MEANS FOR SEQUENTIALLY RETURNING I'IOLED-OUT-BALLS TO PERIPHERALLY SPACED BALL DISPENSERS This application is acontinuation of U.S. Pat. application No. 550,664, filed May 17, 1966.

Due to the unavailability of year-rounduse of good putting. facilities,which more closely simulate actual regulation grass putting greens, thegolfer has been forced to revert to presently available inadequateputting devices and facilities or go into an approximate sixmonthphysical hibernation each year.

Therefore, it is theiaim of this invention to provide golfers with aputting green which will aid in developing golfer putting touch or feelof the greens. The putting green will feature undulations and grasslikesurface texture. This will give golfers the opportunity to develop theirpowers of observation by actually lining up putts to take intoconsideration the contour of the green, the grain of the artificialgrasslike putting surface and the force with which to strike the ball.

Accordingly, other objects of my invention are as follows:

To provide a putting green for year-round use.

To provide a putting green having the appearance, feel and roll ofnatural bent grass greens.

To provide a putting green with undulations similar to a regulation golfcourse grass putting green.

To provide a putting green which will present the golfer with level,uphill, downhill andsidehill putts.

To provide a putting green which eliminates golfer bending or stoopingfor golf balls both at the putting tees and at the cup.

To provide a putting green which can be utilized on a competitive gamebasis by furnishing score cards for golfers to record their scores basedon the number of putts required to hole out.

To provide either an automatic coin-operated or nonautomatic puttinggreen.

To provide a putting green which can be marketed as a prefabricatedunit.

These objects and other objects of this invention should be discernedand. appreciated from the description and claims taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic plan view of the putting green.

FIG. 2 shows an elevational section view taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

In explaining the invention in detail, it can be discerned that thisinvention is capable of many embodiments of which the preferred isherein described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

This invention comprises a base means fabricated from a material suchashoneycomb structure 11 and supported by suitable conventionallyavailable means such as structural framing 12 at a set height withrespectto the ground surface 13. Fixedly mounted on top of saidhoneycomb structure 11 is putting green surface material 14 such asartificial grass having the texture of natural bent grass. Saidhoneycomb structure 11 is fabricated to contain surface undulations anda peripheral outline to resemble regulation golf course putting greens.

Vertically and fixedly mounted along the periphery of the putting greenis the ball-confining means 15 such as a plastic retaining wall. Saidball-confining means 15 is of such height as to prevent any ball,inadvertently hit toward it, from leaving the confinements of theputting green thus acting as an effective backstop. Also, fixedlymounted with respect to the honeycombstructure II is cup 16. Said cup I6is mounted vertically and constructed to allow balls to enter and dropcompletely through and onto the ball return means" which arereciprocably mounted underneath the honeycomb structure ll.

Peripherally and fixedly mounted at predetermined positions with respectto base means 10 are a plurality of conven tional ball'dispensing means18 illustrated by broken lines in both FIGS. 1 and 2. Said balldispensing means 18 is constructed to include outlet portion 19 locatedover putting green surface 14 and inlet portion 20 located underneaththe honeycomb structure 11. At the inlet portion 20, the termination ofthe ball return means 17 is reciprocably and slidably mounted withrespect to said inlet portion 20 and activated through a suitable meanstoward and away from cup 16 by the drive means associated with saidball-dispensing means 18. Therefore, when the said ball-dispensing means18 releases ball 22 from outlet portion 19, ball return means 17 will beautomatically moved away from inlet portion 20. Conversely, when a holedout ball is returned to the ball-dispensing means, a signal is initiatedto cause the ball return means 17 to' be automatically drawn towardinlet portion 20. Inlets of the pin rality of said return means 17commence at proximity of cup 16, branch radially outward, and mountslidable within conventional guide means 21 which in turn are fixedlymounted to the underside of base means 10 as shown in FIG. 2. Each ballreturn means 17 extends along the underside of base means 10 and aredownwardly inclined toward inlet portion 20 of said ball-dispensingmeans 18.

In order to utilize the invention as an automatic coinoperated puttinggreen the golfer must first place the proper fee into a commercial typecoin escrow unit 23 associated with the machine. The coin escrow unit 23will in turn initiate the automatic machine cycle. In doing so the firstof a plurality of automatic ball-dispensing means 18 will release a ballupon the green at putting tee No. 1 through outlet portion 19. Also, theball return means 17 will be actuated and moved until the inlet of saidreturn means is underneath the cup 16 and in position to accept the golfball designated as 22. The golfer will then putt the golf ball towardthe cup 16 until the ball is holed out. The ball in passing through thecup rolls by gravity toward the opening of inlet portion 20 via thereturn means 17 and settles within the ball retention portion of theball dispensing means 18 for future use. Thus, the ball 22, in returningto the dispensing means, will initiate an electrical signal to startoperation of the dispensing means 18 associated with putting tee No. 2.When this occurs the ball return means 17 of putting tee No. 1 willretract by moving away from underneath cup 16 and in turn the ballreturn means I7 associated with putting tee No. 2 will move inunderneath the said cup. Now, the ball within the dispensing means ofputting tee No. 2 will be conveyed up through it and discharged fromoutlet portion 19 onto the putting green. Again the golfer will putt theball until he or she holes out and upon doing so the ball will triggeroperation of the next putting tee. This sequence of operations willcontinue until a ball has been putted and holed out from the pluralityof putting tee positions located on the putting green periphery. Uponholing out the ball putted from the last tee position, the plurality ofball return and ball-dispensing means of cited putting green willautomatically become deactivated at the completion of the vend. Puttinggreen play can now be restored only after another vend is initiated bythe placement of the proper fee into the machine 5 coin escrow unit 23located at tee No. 1.

Having thusly described my invention, I claim:

I. A golf putting green apparatus comprising in combination, a puttingsurface, a base means for supporting said putting surface, a cupassembly positioned within said putting green, a plurality ofball-dispensing means peripherally spaced from each other, and aplurality of ball return means each disposed intermediate said cupassembly and a functionally associated ball-dispensing means, said cupassembly and each ball return means interact sequentially to returnholed-out balls to each of its said functionally associatedball-dispensing means.

2. The invention as defined in claim I, wherein said putting surface isfurther characterized as having undulations for providing players withputts in which the ball line-of-roll may involve level, uphill,downhill, or sidehill travel or any combination thereof.

bination thereof.

5. The invention as defined in claim 4, further characterized by aball-confining means defining the green boundary.

6. The invention as defined in claim 5, further characterized by amonetary acceptor unit for placing the said apparatus in condition foroperation upon receipt of money equivalent to the vend price presettherein.

1. A golf putting green apparatus comprising in combination, a puttingsurface, a base means for supporting said putting surface, a cupassembly positioned within said putting green, a plurality ofball-dispensing means peripherally spaced from each other, and aplurality of ball return means each disposed intermediate said cupassembly and a functionally associated ball-dispensing means, said cupassembly and each ball return means interact sequentially to returnholed-out balls to each of its said functionally associatedball-dispensing means.
 2. The invention as defined in claim 1, whereinsaid putting surface is further characterized as having undulations forproviding players with putts in which the ball line-of-roll may involvelevel, uphill, downhill, or sidehill travel or any combination thereof.3. The invention as defined in claim 1, wherein said putting surface isfurther characterized as having a grained texture for providing playerswith putts in which the ball line-of-roll may involve putts travelingeither against the grain, across the grain, with the grain, or anycombination thereof.
 4. The invention as defined in claim 3, whereinsaid putting surface is further characterized as having undulations forproviding players with putts in which the ball line-of-roll may involvelevel, uphill, downhill, or sidehill travel or any combination thereof.5. The invention as defined in claim 4, further characterized by aball-confining means defining the green boundary.
 6. The invention asdefined in claim 5, further characterized by a monetary acceptor unitfor placing the said apparatus in condition for operation upon receiptof money equivalent to the vend price preset therein.